Verizon finally closing the Verizon Apps store that you never used

Years later, Verizon gets the hint. Its app store will shutter in March 2013.

Verizon announced Monday it will shutter its app store within the next two months and will pull the related apps from Android and BlackBerry phones by March 2013. Wide swaths of customers will be forced to fall back on alternatives, including the Google Play Store, Amazon’s Appstore, and the BlackBerry App World.

Verizon’s VCast apps have been crufting up the home screens of customers for a few years now. They made the not so seamless transition from the relatively walled app garden found on feature phones to the wide open plains of smartphones. On Android and BlackBerry, Verizon’s mystifyingly bad apps were all but overshadowed in quality and responsiveness by offering on those platforms’ app stores, and yet Verizon continued to prominently place the icons on phones’ home screens. In 2011, Verizon attempted to pivot VCast apps into the “Verizon Apps” store, which customers continued to ignore.

In its blog post announcing the closing, Verizon attempts to soothe troubled minds by pointing out “most apps existing on Verizon Apps are already available on multiple app storefronts” like Google Play. The company fails to pinpoint the real good news: Verizon customers won’t have to bother with these eyesores on their phones any longer.

24 Reader Comments

I've had Verizon for many a year, and I hated all of their VCast apps. I never used them and couldn't get rid of them. The only one I even look at now is the one that tells me how much of the data I've used in my plan (due to the BS plan calculations going on). I'm glad to hear this and hope that Verizon not only shutters their app store, but actually allows up to remove the apps from our phones.

I've had Verizon for many a year, and I hated all of their VCast apps. I never used them and couldn't get rid of them. The only one I even look at now is the one that tells me how much of the data I've used in my plan (due to the BS plan calculations going on). I'm glad to hear this and hope that Verizon not only shutters their app store, but actually allows up to remove the apps from our phones.

Wouldn't a custom rom do the trick? Or is there some sort of lock in happening that prevents that as an option?

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Verizon to release updates to all their existing android phones to allow the vcast apps to be removed. They will probably just return some confusing error message when you accidentally click on them leading to support calls for Verizon.

As far as custom roms go that is an option assuming there is a way to root your specific phone since most if not all the phones ship with locked boot loaders but that is something most people aren't willing or able to do.

I've had Verizon for many a year, and I hated all of their VCast apps. I never used them and couldn't get rid of them. The only one I even look at now is the one that tells me how much of the data I've used in my plan (due to the BS plan calculations going on). I'm glad to hear this and hope that Verizon not only shutters their app store, but actually allows up to remove the apps from our phones.

Wouldn't a custom rom do the trick? Or is there some sort of lock in happening that prevents that as an option?

It's built into 4.x and newer. My Galaxy S3 has an extremely useful data widget built into the settings console. No app launching required, and it tracks during usage period billing cycle, not monthly.

I've had Verizon for many a year, and I hated all of their VCast apps. I never used them and couldn't get rid of them. The only one I even look at now is the one that tells me how much of the data I've used in my plan (due to the BS plan calculations going on). I'm glad to hear this and hope that Verizon not only shutters their app store, but actually allows up to remove the apps from our phones.

Wouldn't a custom rom do the trick? Or is there some sort of lock in happening that prevents that as an option?

I can root the phone and get rid of it. But I'm waiting for CM10 to be release ready for my phone first since I doubt Verizon will bring Jellybean to my phone. The nice thing though is that with ICS, I can "disable" apps which doesn't uninstall them, but hides them from my app list and stops checking them for updates in the Play store. So there's that too. I'm more just getting frustrated with Verizon treating me like crap (if they didn't have such a good network I would have left when they upped their plan prices the last time. I miss my unlimited data...)

As far as custom roms go that is an option assuming there is a way to root your specific phone since most if not all the phones ship with locked boot loaders but that is something most people aren't willing or able to do.

Ah, I was not aware that some companies sold phones that locked down. "Locked" up here simply means it will only accept a SIM card from a certain carrier, you are free to stick whatever os you want on it.

They need to stick to providing reliable TV and Internet, and trying to get costs down, instead of all the shitty bells and whistles that merely frustrate. Every other stealth SW update on their set top HD boxes seems to break some functionality, on a regular basis.

I've had Verizon for many a year, and I hated all of their VCast apps. I never used them and couldn't get rid of them. The only one I even look at now is the one that tells me how much of the data I've used in my plan (due to the BS plan calculations going on). I'm glad to hear this and hope that Verizon not only shutters their app store, but actually allows up to remove the apps from our phones.

Wouldn't a custom rom do the trick? Or is there some sort of lock in happening that prevents that as an option?

I can root the phone and get rid of it. But I'm waiting for CM10 to be release ready for my phone first since I doubt Verizon will bring Jellybean to my phone. The nice thing though is that with ICS, I can "disable" apps which doesn't uninstall them, but hides them from my app list and stops checking them for updates in the Play store. So there's that too. I'm more just getting frustrated with Verizon treating me like crap (if they didn't have such a good network I would have left when they upped their plan prices the last time. I miss my unlimited data...)

Perhaps harder on your phone, but the "M" release of CM10 has been essentially release ready on my phone since they started releasing them. (Nexus S 4G)

Only consistent problem I run into is the theme tab in settings causes the settings app to crash.

They need to stick to providing reliable TV and Internet, and trying to get costs down, instead of all the shitty bells and whistles that merely frustrate. Every other stealth SW update on their set top HD boxes seems to break some functionality, on a regular basis.

Nobody wants to be in the business of selling a commodity, and everyone wants to be in the business of "adding value." So carriers come up with their own messy crap in an attempt to add value, and of course end up subtracting value instead.

Buying Nexus devices is the only clear way I can think of to send a signal to them to cut it out. (iOS would count too, except the signal that will be received is that people like shiny Apple devices -- not that there's anything wrong with that.)

I have Sprint. I think they didn't even bother. They have "Sprint Apps". And their "Store" but it just points to Google if you decide to get an App.

I think if the carriers in the beginning just asked google for a small cut from whatever app was purchased via their network they could of make a few pennies. But in all serious now. Carriers are betting in the whole other direction. I suppose they want apps to be larger and for you to consume more data. As they'll just charge more for bandwidth.

My first smartphone was an iPhone because I didn't want the Verizon apps on my phone. I wonder how many people are firmly entrenched in the Apple ecosystem because carriers insisted on putting their apps on Android phones.

Now if only Apple would release a smart phone that didn't require a data plan. I think there is a market for an inexpensive phone with only voice and WiFi.

My first smartphone was an iPhone because I didn't want the Verizon apps on my phone. I wonder how many people are firmly entrenched in the Apple ecosystem because carriers insisted on putting their apps on Android phones.

Now if only Apple would release a smart phone that didn't require a data plan. I think there is a market for an inexpensive phone with only voice and WiFi.

Yeah I think we will see that around the same time we see phones without cameras unfortunately. I would love an ipod touch sized phone, and I never really need my phone camera, either I am home and have access to a better camera, or my girlfriend has her camera phone.

Actually, my girlfriend usually has a better, standalone camera in her purse. Not only would removing cameras reduce cost, it would enable a smaller form.

My first smartphone was an iPhone because I didn't want the Verizon apps on my phone. I wonder how many people are firmly entrenched in the Apple ecosystem because carriers insisted on putting their apps on Android phones.

Now if only Apple would release a smart phone that didn't require a data plan. I think there is a market for an inexpensive phone with only voice and WiFi.

Yeah I think we will see that around the same time we see phones without cameras unfortunately. I would love an ipod touch sized phone, and I never really need my phone camera, either I am home and have access to a better camera, or my girlfriend has her camera phone.

Actually, my girlfriend usually has a better, standalone camera in her purse. Not only would removing cameras reduce cost, it would enable a smaller form.

Being about the only brand that still offers camera-free phones is one of the things keeping RIM in business right now. If cameras weren't forbidden at work, I'd be happily using my ancient Samsung Intensity slider. All i wanted was a phone that made calls, had no camera, and had a QWERTY keyboard so it wouldn't take me 5 minutes to bang out a text message. Just to get those three things, I'm stuck with a Blackberry and a $30 per month data plan.

Ok so the app store goes away, but are they still going to preload every android phone with all their crap apps and not let you uninstall them? The app store was never an issue for me, not did I use it, but the vznav and other apps that you just cant stop without rooting and removing them.

My first smartphone was an iPhone because I didn't want the Verizon apps on my phone. I wonder how many people are firmly entrenched in the Apple ecosystem because carriers insisted on putting their apps on Android phones.

Now if only Apple would release a smart phone that didn't require a data plan. I think there is a market for an inexpensive phone with only voice and WiFi.

I've been using my Android phone on Ting for about 4 months now with no data plan. It's not Apple, but I thought you might be interested in the option.https://ting.com/

If cameras weren't forbidden at work, I'd be happily using my ancient Samsung Intensity slider. All i wanted was a phone that made calls, had no camera, and had a QWERTY keyboard so it wouldn't take me 5 minutes to bang out a text message. Just to get those three things, I'm stuck with a Blackberry and a $30 per month data plan.

Interesting point r.e. camera & work. Never thought about it before.

As a longtime LG VX (hard-keyboard) power-SMS user, I finally took the plunge and got a Verizon Android phone ~6 months ago. The transition was a little rough, but once I got used to it, android's autocomplete is a dream. I no longer restructure my messages to avoid long words like "restructure" or "autocomplete", nor do I rely on sometimes ambiguous abbreviations; now, I barely pay attention to where my fingers actually go, and just pick the words off the top. It's a totally different style of message composition, and it takes some getting used to, but its remarkably efficient (and considerably easier on my thumbs).

And this is coming from someone who cursed soft keyboards for years!

Last point -- I'd never willingly go back to a phone that lacked cut/copy/paste functionality on a shared system clipboard. How does this work on RIMs?